"
Differentiated responses
" according to the presumed origin of the applicants, or even "
no response at all
": the Abbé Pierre Foundation warns of the non-respect of the right to information and ethno-racial discrimination in social housing, in a study published on Tuesday.
To determine whether the registration desks dedicated to social housing applications discriminate, the Abbé Pierre Foundation took part in an experiment.
Two candidates, whose first and last names suggest "
for one a French origin and for the other a West African origin
", sent emails to 1,875 donors, i.e. nearly two thirds of the official counters in France.
Socio-spatial segregation
Two observations emerge: on the one hand, only half of the counters respond to the requests of bogus candidates, "
which raises questions about access to information in the public service, and therefore about its quality
", estimates Pauline Portefaix, responsible for studies within the Foundation.
On the other hand, only nearly a quarter of the counters (24.2%) “
responded positively and in a similar way to the requests for information from the two candidates
”.
Among the counters that provide answers to the two candidates, "
23.5% formulate differentiated answers to equivalent requests
": one part "
directs the two candidates in a different way, to the detriment of the one presumed to be of African origin
", others "
accompany more intensely the presumed candidate of French origin
" and some "
add demotivating information for the presumed candidate of African origin only
".
"
Certainly, the phenomenon is not massive
," tempers Ms. Portefaix.
“
These discriminations are in the minority compared to those observed in the private sector, but they are nevertheless significant
,” she insists.
The study, conducted at the request of the Foundation by economics researchers Sylvain Chareyron and Yannick L'Horty, shows that this "
discrimination is more evident in the municipalities most favored by their social composition and their economic situation
" and "
indirectly contribute to the socio-spatial segregation of neighborhoods
,” adds Pauline Portefaix.
Hence the need to "
train and raise awareness
» players in the sector, she recommends.
According to government figures, 4.7 million social housing units are listed in France, for 10 million tenants.